Offbeat Gardening: 10 Creative Container Ideas

It might seem a little bit early to start planning an outdoor garden, but spring is really not too far off! Now’s the time to start that garden from seed, and while you’re at it, why not do a little fantasy garden-planning, so you’ll be ready with containers when it’s time to transplant those seedlings to their outdoor homes? Sure, you can hit the home improvement store for clay pots, but you can also add a little personality to your garden by using more unusual planters made from reclaimed materials. Check out these ideas!

The Right Plants, The Right Containers for Spring

When you’re planning a container garden, you might make some different choices than if you were planting in the ground. Containers mean limited space for your plants’ roots to spread out, so you want to pick plants that don’t need a huge radius to thrive.

I’ve found that a good rule of thumb when you’re choosing your plants is to look at the seed packet and see what their spacing recommendation is to get your planter diameter. So, if a plant needs 6″ of space in a row, you’ll want a pot that’s at least 6″† wide to accommodate.

Not sure what to grow this spring? Here are a few ideas:

succulents – make sure the last freeze is over before you put these outside!

arugula

broccoli

carrots

peas

kale

lettuce

green onions (scallions)

chives

onions

radishes

potatoes

cilantro

dill

basil

You probably noticed that these spring veggies are also foods that thrive in a fall garden, and that’s no accident. Both spring and fall have shorter days and cool evenings, so similar plants do well in both seasons.

Ready to pick out some cool containers for your spring garden? Check out the following unusual planter ideas!

2.Tin can planter – Tin cans make great planters, especially if they have cool printing on the outside. A 15 ounce can is good for smaller plants like herbs, and larger cans can accommodate small veggies.

4. Shoe organizer garden – Another great way to grow herbs or smaller veggies. This is a vertical solution, which means you can fit a lot of plants into a smaller space.

5. Use a shoe – No, really. Do you have some kicks that are past their prime? Old shoes make great planters! Since shoes – even boots – are pretty small, you’ll probably want to stick to herbs and succulents in your mini shoe garden.

Next: More creative container ideas!

6. Old bricks – Got lots of old bricks in your yard? Many urban yards seem to, for some reason. Collect them all and turn them into a spiral garden for planting herbs and smaller veggies!

7. Mesh produce bags – You can’t recycle the mesh bags that often hold citrus or potatoes, but you can turn them into a hanging planter!

8. Old tires – You can often find old tires by the side of the road, and tire shops will sometimes give you old ones for free, since they would need to pay to dispose of them. Turn that trash into stacked potato planters!

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147 comments

Some really great ideas. I will have quite a few old bricks, after the side of my house has a cement driveway extended right up to the house, and I am going to save them for a spiral planter for my front yard. I have a patch there right now, and it just never looked right - this idea will certainly change the look, and I can put my big well pump right in the middle - boy the creative juices are flowing right now.... Thanks so much for posting Becky.

We have an old bird bath that I plant with flowers and ivy. And we've also taken to planting a cherry and grape tomato plants on the walk to our front door. When they're ripe we just pick a few on our way in to snack on. Sweet and delicious and organic.